Development of Innovative Connections for Shelf Angels Used in Wood-Framed Building

Most residential houses in Canada are built with wood frame. Brick veneer is installed on the outer surface of the wood building to provide an elegant brick-finish look. Steel shelf angles are mounted on the word frame of a building to support the brick veneer’s load. Installation of shelf angles requires installation of through bolts which need to pierce through the wood frame into the building envelope creating thermal bridges. These thermal bridges allow internal heat (in winter months) and cool air (in summer months) of the homes to escape to the outside atmosphere and thus, a large portion of the energy used for heating and cooling is lost. Hence, this research will develop thermally efficient connections for mounting shelf angles. The goal is to reduce the loss of energy in our homes and help Canada in achieving the target of net-zero energy buildings by 2050.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sreekanta Das

Student:

Partner:

Alberta Masonry Council

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Windsor

Program: